The present invention relates to a method of treating exposed surfaces, e.g. for use in protection treatment of e.g. monuments, buildings and constructions having surface structures made of i.a. steel, aluminium, sandstone, marble, granite, slate, cement, fibre-reinforced cement, bricks, tiles, fibre glass-reinforced materials, and wood, as well as public and private transportation vehicles like busses, trains, trolleys, etc., and road and traffic signs, against graffiti and/or pollution, but also for use in anti-fouling treatment of ship hulls, and exposed surfaces obtainable by the method, and use thereof.
As used in the specification and claims, the term “graffiti” means any unwanted painting, drawing, lettering or other marking formed on a surface.
Although many countries have adopted strict environmental regulations which are intended to protect the environment against pollution from i.a. waste and combustion products, formation of deposits on and corrosion of surfaces of buildings, construction materials, public and private transportation vehicles, etc., caused by pollution still continue to cause problems.
Thus, it is desired to prevent formation of and/or remove such deposits of waste and combustion products, in particular smog; to prevent formation of reaction products formed by i.a. acid rains, sulphur oxides, and nitrogen oxides; and to provide easy removal of graffiti paintings on such surfaces.
Cleaning of such surfaces to remove pollution deposits, including graffiti, often requires application of high-pressure sand blasting treatments or treatment with hot steam or aggressive and hazardous chemical cleaning agents. Also, following such cleaning treatment the surfaces often have to be further renovated, and application of new surface treatments or paintings may be required.
Similarly anti-fouling treatment of ship hulls requires frequent cleaning and surface treatment, including high-pressure sand blasting treatments or treatment with aggressive and hazardous chemical cleaning agents, often followed by application of new paintings and/or fouling agents.
In particular for anti-fouling products, new very strict legislation is coming into force in several countries in order to prevent use of biocides, TBT, and heavy metals, which are presently polluting the water environment. Therefore, heavy efforts have been done to provide non-poisonous anti-fouling coatings.
Consequently, there is a need for an improved method and means for treating surfaces of buildings, construction materials, public and private transportation vehicles, ship hulls, etc., whereby less complicated cleaning methods are required to remove pollution or fouling deposits; and whereby application of environmentally hazardous agents, renovation and repainting can be avoided or reduced.
The present invention also relates to protection against pollution, wear by weather, graffiti, anti-fouling, bird droppings etc. by providing a method of treating a sheet with a coating composition and using the sheet for a protecting purpose. This can be accomplished either by treating a sheet with said method and thereby applying the sheet to the surface to be protected or by treating a sheet already applied to the surface to be protected with said method.
Sheets made of polymer materials are used in many aspects of the everyday life to display graphics on buses, cabs, and buildings. The sheets will meet requirements of durability, resistance and protection. The sheets may also be for indoor use. Several types of sheets exist on the market for the above-mentioned purposes of protection and advertising, etc. These sheets are often laminated to comprise a liner, an adhesive layer and a film, which film constitutes the outer surface. Also, sheets exists for the purpose of protecting surfaces, such as the front of a building, windows, road signs, tarpaulins, underwater structures. These sheets are also subject to the invention of protecting surfaces by treatment with a coating composition.
The present invention further relates to a method of applying a coating of a polyolefin wax to a sheet. The application of the polyolefin wax to the sheet involves providing a coating composition comprising particles of a polyolefin wax suspended in a liquid to the sheet followed by an evaporating of the liquid and a heat treatment to bring the wax particles into a coalescing state and allowing the wax particles to provide a continuous coating of the sheet and allowing the coating to consolidate to a protective coating.